Comment of the Day: A Girly Boy Affirmation
Today we got mad at a stupid adult who thinks that a little boy wearing nail polish is going to destroy the country. Sigh. That sucks and is really frustrating. So we could use a little sincere positivity, right? One commenter provided it.
A friend gave me a poster about a year ago about gender norms that I wish would hang in every classroom in the country:
"For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable. For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence. For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep. For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes. For every girl who throws out her E-Z-Bake oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one. For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry's attacks on her self-esteem. For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier."
Gender norms, in all forms, are destructive. Even when it's something seemingly as insignificant as a little boy wearing pink nail polish and an asshole conservative freaking out about it.
Nice. No joke, just nice. Go on with your bad selves, girly boys and boy-y girls and everyone in between. To hell with Keith Ablow!
